Scanner display

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9689972-B2
Application number	US-201715404685-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2017
Priority date	Aug 3, 2010
Publication date	Jun 27, 2017
Grant date	Jun 27, 2017

Abstract

A laser scanner collects gray-scale values and associated 3D coordinates of a scanned object in a spherical coordinate system, and displays reformatted gray-scale values that are reformatted from the spherical coordinate system into a planar view rectangular region. The reformatted gray-scale values have at least one straight line of the object appearing as a curved line on a display. The scanner enables selection of an angular range of measurement, measures gray-scale values and associated 3D coordinates in the spherical coordinate system over the angular range of measurement, displays the reformatted gray-scale values, the reformatted gray-scale values being the gray-scale values reformatted from the spherical coordinate system into a rectangular shaped region, the rectangular shape of the region extending and covering the angular range, and saves the reformatted gray-scale values and associated 3D coordinates on a storage medium, the associated 3D coordinates being 3D coordinates associated with the gray-scale values.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A laser scanner configured to measure three-dimensional (3D) coordinates of an object, comprising:
a mirror configured to rotate about a first axis, the mirror having a flat reflective surface;
a first portion including the mirror, the first portion configured to rotate about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, the first portion further including a light emitter, and a light receiver, the light emitter is configured to send emitted light to the mirror for reflection onto the object, the light receiver is configured to receive from the mirror a reflected light, the reflected light being a part of the emitted light reflected by the object;
one or more processors that are operably coupled to a tangible non-transitory storage medium, the light emitter and the light receiver;
a display unit operably coupled to the processor, the display unit further being coupled to the laser scanner;
the one or more processors being responsive to executable instructions which when executed by the processor is operable to:
cause the scanner to collect gray-scale values and associated 3D coordinates in a spherical coordinate system based at least in part on the light received by the light receiver;
display on the display unit reformatted gray-scale values, the reformatted gray-scale values being gray-scale values reformatted from the spherical coordinate system into a rectangular region as a planar view;
the reformatted gray-scale values when reformatted from the spherical coordinate system into the rectangular region in the planar view have at least one straight line of the object scanned appearing as a curved line on the display;
enable selection of a first angular range of measurement about the second axis, the first angular range of measurement being between 0 and 360 degrees;
cause the laser scanner to measure first gray-scale values and associated 3D coordinates in the spherical coordinate system over the first angular range of measurement;
display on the display unit the first reformatted gray-scale values, the first reformatted gray-scale values being the first gray-scale values reformatted from the spherical coordinate system into a first region, the first region being rectangular in shape, the rectangular shape of the first region extending and covering the first angular range; and
save the first reformatted gray-scale values and first associated 3D coordinates on the storage medium, the first associated 3D coordinates being 3D coordinates associated with the first gray-scale values.

2. The laser scanner of claim 1 , wherein the executable instructions when executed by the one or more processors is further operable to enable selection of a first reformatted gray-scale point on the display unit and in response determine a first 3D coordinate, the first 3D coordinate being an associated 3D coordinate of the first reformatted gray-scale point.

3. The laser scanner of claim 2 , wherein the executable instructions when executed by the one or more processors is further operable to enable selection of a second reformatted gray-scale point on the display unit and in response determine a second 3D coordinate, the second 3D coordinate being an associated 3D coordinate of the second reformatted gray-scale point.

4. The laser scanner of claim 3 , wherein the executable instructions when executed by the one or more processors is further operable to determine a first 3D distance between the first 3D coordinate and the second 3D coordinate.

5. The laser scanner of claim 4 , wherein the executable instructions when executed by the one or more processors is further operable to:
enable selection of a second angular range of measurement about the second axis, the second angular range of measurement being an angular subset of the first angular range of measurement;
extract from the storage medium the second reformatted gray-scale values corresponding to the second angular range of measurement; and
display on the integrated display the second reformatted gray-scale values.

6. The laser scanner of claim 5 , wherein the executable instructions when executed by the one or more processors is further operable to:
enable selection of a panoramic display mode;
perform a mathematical transformation to convert reformatted gray-scale values into a panoramic representation of gray-scale values that removes distortions present in display of the planar view; and
display on the integrated display unit the panoramic representation.

Assignees

• Faro Tech Incorporated
• Faro Tech Inc

Inventors

• Becker Reinhard
• Becker Bernd-Dietmar
• Ossig Martin

Classifications

• G01S17/89 Primary

  for mapping or imaging · CPC title

• G01S17/42

  Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates (indirect measurement G01S17/46) · CPC title

• G01S7/51 Primary

  Display arrangements · CPC title

• G01S7/4817

  relating to scanning · CPC title